ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday sought complete record on the next date of hearing regarding a matter related to removal of a kidney in a fraudulent manner and adjourned further hearing until June 11.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Hashim Khan Kakar and comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim heard the appeal filed by Dr Fawad Mumtaz Khan against a sentence of seven years’ rigorous imprisonment imposed by a lower court.
There were allegations against the appellant Dr Fawad Mumtaz Khan, a dermatologist from Taxila (Rawalpindi District) that he deceived a citizen with the promise of a job, rendered him unconscious and fraudulently removed one of his kidneys.
During the hearing, the government of Punjab disclosed that this was not the first such incident.
According to the government, 10 other cases of a similar nature have already been registered against Dr Fawad Mumtaz.
Justice Hashim Kakar remarked that incidents of illegal organ removal and transplantation are rapidly increasing in the country. He observed that the relevant authority in Punjab has almost no effective control over the situation, which is why if someone in Quetta needs a kidney, it can easily be obtained from Punjab.
He further noted that kidneys can be obtained in Punjab for between 1.8 million and 2 million Pakistani rupees, and that the desperation of poor people is being exploited.
Justice Salahuddin Panhwar questioned as to why people in Punjab seem to be carrying their hearts and kidneys in their hands. He emphasised that this is an extremely serious matter and that in such cases not only agents but also doctors, hospital administrations and relevant government institutions are often involved.
During the hearing, along with the lawyers for both sides, officials from the Punjab Human Organ Transplantation Authority also appeared before the court.
The Additional Prosecutor General of Punjab informed the court that poor organ donors receive only 200,000 to 400,000 rupees, while agents pocket the remaining large sums of money generated through this illicit business.
Justice Hashim Kakar further remarked that in Quetta, people value their kidneys so highly that they would not part with them even for billions of rupees.
